Friday night’s slate featured some confusing usage patterns, fueling more questions than answers in the remaining unsettled bullpen hierarchies following the trade deadline. Six relievers recorded a win, and there were six saves, including yesterday’s vulture recommendation, Joe Jiménez. Our Closer CliffsNotes recaps the high-leverage events of interest.
Closer CliffsNotes
- Ryan Thompson (ARI) held on for his second save. He allowed a lead-off Oneil Cruz single, a stolen base, and a one-out Rowdy Tellez RBI single before inducing consecutive groundouts, preserving a one-run win. After tossing a clean seventh, Dylan Floro was awarded his fourth win, the first with his new team.
- Joe Jiménez (ATL) navigated around a hit and a walk while striking out three in a scoreless ninth for his third save. Aaron Bummer collected his third win, working a scoreless top of the eighth, yielding a hit and striking out two.
- Héctor Neris (CHC) took over a bases-loaded situation in the eighth and let one runner score on a walk but logged 1.1 scoreless frames and recorded two strikeouts en route to his 15th save. Tyson Miller logged 1.2 clean frames and struck out one while collecting his third win.
- Cade Smith (CLE) collected his sixth win. He logged 1.2 clean frames and struck out three against Baltimore.
- Victor Vodnik (COL) secured his fifth save while appearing for a third straight day. He issued a walk and recorded a strikeout during his scoreless ninth in San Diego.
- Shelby Miller (DET) struggled in a non-save appearance. He took over in the seventh and let both inherited runners score, along with four earned runs on his ledger, yielding four hits without recording an out.
- Josh Hader (HOU) notched his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth despite issuing a walk during a one-run win over the Rays. Bryan Abreu retired the side in the seventh while striking out two and earned his second win courtesy of his teammates taking the lead in the bottom of the inning.
- Calvin Faucher (MIA) suffered his third loss. Entering in the bottom of the eighth with a one-run lead, he allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks (one intentional) while striking out one.
- Colin Holderman (PIT) took over a tied game in the top of the eighth. He gave up two hits and the go-ahead run on a double by Geraldo Perdomo, resulting in his third loss.
- Jeremiah Estrada (SDP) had a rare rough outing. He allowed three hits, three earned runs, and two walks while striking out two in two-thirds of the sixth, resulting in his second loss and second blown save.
- Kevin Kelly (TBR) was tagged with his second loss. He gave up an unearned run and two hits over 1.1 innings in Houston.
- Chad Green (TOR) nailed down his eighth save, striking out the side against the Yankees top of the lineup. Brendon Little tossed 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out two for his first major league win.
Three Takeaways
- Arizona’s revamped hierarchy: With a three-run lead at the bottom of the sixth, Kevin Ginkel was summoned but struggled with his command. He was removed with two runners on and two outs. A.J. Puk was deployed like the “fireman” but gave up three consecutive hits, scoring both inherited runners and getting an earned run on his line. Dylan Floro tossed a clean seventh. Justin Martinez was the most impressive reliever in this game, even with his inconsistent sequence against Andrew McCutchen. Ryan Thompson secured his second save despite allowing two hits and an earned run in the ninth. A match-up-based approach may continue while Paul Sewald works on his mechanical issues, making this a challenging read. Fantasy managers can add Thompson, but things are different in the ninth than in the eighth inning.
- Miami loses a late lead: After Anthony Bender retired the first three Atlanta hitters in the sixth for his tenth hold, Andrew Nardi tossed a scoreless seventh facing the 4-5-6-7 hitters. Calvin Faucher took over in the eighth, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks, resulting in his first blown save and third loss. Who would have received the ninth remains a mystery, but our projected high-leverage triumvirate remains these three. However, the roles may change in the coming weeks, making this another problematic situation for those seeking one reliever for saves.
- V-squared effective again: For a third straight game, and in Colorado’s fifth straight win, Victor Vodnik turned in a scoreless outing. Last night, he secured his fifth save by working around a one-out walk with a pop-out and a game-ending strikeout of Jackson Merrill. His team has one of the most demanding remaining schedules, but he’s established himself as the closer, which has value for fantasy purposes. He can be an effective short-term option in the next scoring period with so many bullpens in flux.
Vulture Save Option for Saturday, August 3
- Seranthony Domínguez (BAL): This may be off the radar, but Kimbrel pitched in a non-save outing during a four-run loss, and Yennier Cano’s 5.34 ERA in the ninth may provide this vulture save opportunity in today’s slate.
Vulture Save Option for Sunday, August 4
- Porter Hodge (CHC): If Neris pitches today, it will be back-to-back outings.
American League – Game Recaps from August 2
Houston Astros – Although he dealt with traffic, Josh Hader recorded his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth, preserving a one-run win over the Rays. With one out, he hit José Caballero with a pitch and picked him off first, resulting in a caught stealing, walked Alex Jackson and induced a game-ending flyout. Hader threw 16 pitches (7 strikes – 43.8 Strike%) and induced one whiff. He’s been scoreless in eight of his last nine outings while converting all seven save chances with 12 strikeouts against five walks.
- Ryan Pressly notched his 19th hold, navigating around two hits and striking out one in a scoreless eighth.
- Bryan Abreu collected his second win. He retired the side and recorded two strikeouts in the seventh, followed by his team’s go-ahead rally in the bottom of the inning.
Hierarchy remains: Josh Hader | Ryan Pressly | Bryan Abreu
Toronto Blue Jays – Shutting the door on his eighth save, Chad Green fired a clean bottom of the ninth while striking out the side against the Yankees’ 1-2-3 hitters. He threw 16 pitches (9 strikes – 56.3 Strike%) and induced two whiffs. He extended his scoreless streak to seven games, recording a win, three saves, and a hole while striking out eight without issuing a walk.
- Zach Pop tossed a scoreless eighth and struck out one for his eighth hold.
- Brendon Little collected his first win. He logged 1.2 scoreless frames, allowing a hit and striking out two.
- Génesis Cabrera stranded two runners in the fifth. He gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
Hierarchy remains: Chad Green | Zach Pop | Génesis Cabrera
National League – Game Recaps from August 2
Arizona Diamondbacks – In the first game, with Paul Sewald out of the closer role, Ryan Thompson held on for his second save. He allowed two hits, including Rowdy Tellez’s RBI single, while preserving a one-run win in Pittsburgh. He threw 20 pitches (60 Strike%) without inducing a whiff. In this outing, he lost his seven-game scoreless streak but may get a brief run for saves.
- Justin Martinez tossed a scoreless eighth, issuing a walk and striking out three for his seventh hold.
- Dylan Floro worked a clean seventh and collected his fourth win.
- A.J. Puk was summoned with two runners on and one out and gave up three consecutive hits, putting an earned run on his line while letting both inherited runners score during his second blown save.
- Kevin Ginkel was credited with his 11th hold despite giving up a hit, three earned runs, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out one in two-thirds of the sixth.
Updated Hierarchy: *Ryan Thompson | *Justin Martinez | *A.J. Puk
*= closer-by-committee
Atlanta Braves – Capping his team’s comeback rally, Joe Jiménez secured his third save. He worked around a one-out single and a two-out double by recording all three outs via strikeout while preserving a two-run win over the Marlins. He threw 28 pitches (17 strikes – 60.7 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (14.3 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in his last eight appearances and 17 of his last 18 with 19 strikeouts against seven walks.
- Aaron Bummer collected his third win. He tossed a scoreless eighth, giving up a hit and striking out two ahead of his team’s three-run rally in the bottom of the inning.
Hierarchy remains: Raisel Iglesias | Joe Jiménez | A.J. Minter
Chicago Cubs – Forced into action in the top of the eighth, Héctor Neris inherited a bases-loaded, two-out situation. He let one score on a Brendon Donovan walk and produced an inning-ending strikeout of Brandon Crawford. Neris returned for the ninth and retired the side for his 15th save. He threw 17 pitches (10 strikes – 58.8 Strike%) and induced three whiffs (17.7 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in 12 of his last 13 outings since June 22, with 17 strikeouts against five walks while converting all five save chances across 12 innings.
- Julian Merryweather struggled with his command, issuing four walks and throwing a wild pitch, resulting in two earned runs and recording two strikeouts in two-thirds of the eighth.
- Drew Smyly worked 1.1 scoreless frames, allowing a walk.
- Tyson Miller earned his third win. After taking over in the fifth, he pitched 1.2 clean innings and recorded a strikeout.
Updated Hierarchy: Héctor Neris | Porter Hodge | Tyson Miller
Colorado Rockies – Pitching for a third consecutive day, Victor Vodnik secured his fifth save with a scoreless ninth. He allowed a one-out walk by Jake Cronenworth but retired the next two batters, preserving a three-run win in San Diego. He threw 23 pitches (15 strikes – 65.2 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (13 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in seven of his last eight contests, recording a win and four saves with nine strikeouts against three walks.
- Tyler Kinley also logged a third straight appearance, securing his ninth hold with a clean eighth inning.
Hierarchy remains: Victor Vodnik | Tyler Kinley | Justin Lawrence
Miami Marlins – With a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, Calvin Faucher issued a lead-off walk, recorded an out on a sacrifice bunt, and gave up a game-tying Jorge Soler single. After a pinch runner entered, Faucher allowed an Austin Riley double, a Marcell Ozuna sacrifice fly and intentionally walked Matt Olson before an Orlando Arcia RBI single. He suffered his third loss and first blown save while giving up three hits, three earned runs, and two walks while striking out one.
- Andrew Nardi notched his 13th hold, issuing a walk and striking out three in a scoreless seventh.
- Anthony Bender secured his tenth hold, retiring the side and striking out two in the sixth.
Updated Hierarchy: *Calvin Faucher | *Andrew Nardi | Anthony Bender
Pittsburgh Pirates – In ascending order of appearances, Jalen Beeks let his only inherited runner score in the top of the sixth, allowing an Alek Thomas RBI single and recording two outs, one via strikeout.
- Aroldis Chapman suffered his fourth blown save, giving up a Josh Bell solo home run and striking out two in the seventh.
- Colin Holdmerman gave up two hits and an earned run in the eighth, resulting in his third loss.
- Dennis Santana served up a Ketel Marte solo home run, issued a walk, and recorded a strikeout in the ninth.
Hierarchy remains: David Bednar | Aroldis Chapman | Colin Holderman
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